According to the N&O, and other liberal mouthpieces, the fact that NC state legislators and businesspeople are getting together to talk about legislation means SOMETHING sinister is going on: The American Legislative Exchange Council is holding its annual conference in New Orleans, on the heels of critical reports about the organization prompted by a project by a liberal watchdog group. ALEC is a bipartisan free-market advocacy organization that has long brought together elected officials and business interests. It claims to have 1,800 legislators and about 300 private-sector members, who meet in private throughout the year to debate and draft proposed…

I have to give rare kudos to Democrats Larry Kissell and Mike McIntyre, who voted against the U.S. House deal to raise the federal debt ceiling — even if it might have been for the wrong reasons. Sixth District Republican congressman Howard Coble, who represents Moore County, and 2nd District Republican Renee Ellmers, who will soon represent Moore County, both voted for the debt ceiling increase debacle: “I voted for the bill because it cuts government spending at a greater amount than it increases the debt ceiling,” Coble said. “We did that without raising taxes, without harming Social Security and…

Disgusting. Just disgusting. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives approved a historic $2.4 trillion increase in the federal debt ceiling. The “honorables” proceeded to applaud and cheer the vote results. I never thought I’d see the day where the North Carolina General Assembly was more conservative and responsible than the U.S. Congress. They even hauled in poor Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) — who was shot in the head seven months ago — to cast a vote on this debacle. It’s doubtful that Giffords was even aware of her surroundings or what she was doing. I keep asking this question: HOW does…

The Washington politicians have reached a deal on the federal debt ceiling, and — just like Erick Erickson of Redstate.com — I am NOT playing the fool: There are a lot of Republicans tonight willing to play the fool for the GOP in this debt ceiling plan. They say, for example, that there will be no tax increases from this super committee. Never mind that the Democrats are saying otherwise. I can prove to you right now that there will be tax increases. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) expects the Bush tax cuts to expire. So all the commission has to…

State Democrats and their allies in the teachers union are STILL trying to beat up on conservatives in the legislature for the budget recently passed by both chambers despite the protests of most of that body’s Democrats and the veto of Madame Governor. It’s the usual stuff — right wingers hate kids, they’re endangering our kids’ future, this budget cutting will mean higher taxes for everyone REAL soon, the world is going to end, YADDA YADDA YADDA. That kind of thing. “Praised Teacher Program Gets Ax,” screams the headline over today’s offering from N&O stenographer — er, reporter — Rob…

I have to admit that I nearly spit out my coffee this morning after reading this “gem” from Fayetteville Observer reporter Michael Futch: Count Billy Ray Taylor among a different breed of industrialists, a contrast to those plant managers who tower over a cowering work force with iron fists from the confines of their private offices. (?????) Wow. Just — wow.

El Rushbo appears to be THE ONLY ONE out there making sense on this debt ceiling debate: The Republican leadership is operating out of fear. I want you to think, to transfer that to your personal life, and I want to ask you to consider: Whenever you do anything out of fear, how does it turn out? Doing anything from the perspective of fear is disastrous, or potentially so. And that has been the position of the Republican leadership and the inside-the-Beltway so-called conservative media. Fear. Fear of being blamed, primarily. But fear of other things. The age-old fears, the…

Heads were rolling Thursday in Chapel Hill. UNC football coach Butch Davis had been dismissed Wednesday in the wake of a year long NCAA investigation of the school’s football program. At a Thursday press conference, Chancellor Holden Thorp and Athletic Director Dick Baddour discussed the Davis dismissal and announced Baddour’s decision to “step down a little early.” Defensive coordinator Everett Withers, a former Appalachian State University football star and a disciple of former UNC coach Mack Brown, has been named interim head coach for the upcoming season. So, a week before football practice was set to begin, the school…

The conservative majority in the state legislature continued their beatdown of Madame Governor in Tuesday’s business — overriding her vetoes of bills limiting the payment of unemployment benefits and installing a waiting period for abortions in the state. Supporters of the override said it was important to stop Perdue from shelling out even more money for unemployment benefits. They pointed to the billions in debt the state already owes the federal government for unemployment funds. Extending benefits, they argued, would dip the state further into the red when it already has a significant hole to dig itself out of. …

The recently passed state budget cut out funding for the North Carolina Governor’s School, and The Left quickly pounced on that as another piece of evidence of how conservatives want to hurt the state’s children. What were our state’s most academically gifted children to do without an allocation of tax money? Well, reports are out now that suggest Governor’s School will be just fine with private funding. Supporters set a goal of $100,000 to keep the program running for the next year, and ended up raising more than $137,000 from alumni and their friends and family. My friends on The Left need…